Belonging to a Mastermind group is exciting – and gets even more so, once you start to see the positive impact it has on your business. You may be interested in joining one, but something is holding you back. What’s stopping you?

Some of the most common “stoppers” are : Procrastination, Confusion, Lack of Time and Negativity.

Can you relate to one or more of these reasons that may be preventing you from growing your business and achieving higher business goals through Masterminding?

Procrastination

I’ll do it . . . later.

I’ll wait until I get motivated.

Someday I’ll get a Mastermind group started.

All the good intentions in the world will not produce results without committing to a focused course of action. Replace open-ended words like “someday” with a specific date on the calendar.

If you want to achieve higher levels of success in your personal and professional life through powerful goal getting with a Mastermind group, procrastinate doing those things that stop you from starting a group.

Confusion

How do you do something that you’ve never done before? You might want to join a Mastermind group, but you’re not sure where to start, or who to ask. It can be helpful to recognise that everything you do for the first time you do without knowing with 100% certainty that you can.

You don’t really know you can do something until you’re doing it.

Anything worth doing is worth being a bit confused about at first. Accept your feelings of confusion and keep moving forward. Imagine what type of goals you would reach for if you had a group who believed they could achieve anything they put their minds to.

Lack of Time

I don’t have time to add another commitment to my life.

I don’t have time to listen to other people talk about their goals.

I’m too busy just trying to keep up to think about planning ahead.

These are all just excuses… You will never “have time” for the things that are not priorities for you… If you won the Lotto, would you “find the time” to go and pick up your winnings ? Of course, you would.

It is not unusual for Mastermind group members to turn down money-making opportunities to attend their meetings – because they know that what they achieve with their mastermind group will have a long-term positive effect on the growth of their business.

Negativity

Negativity is like a virus. Even the most optimistic person can catch it. Unlike the flu, negativity does not run its course and leave. Active steps need to be taken to change our mental environment to one that negativity cannot thrive in. How do you do that?

Use empowering language. Anytime you hear yourself say, “I can’t” replace it with, “I choose not to.” Look at how this works: You’re left feeling hopeless when you say, “I can’t start up a Mastermind group.” Change it to, “I choose not to start a Mastermind group.” This puts full responsibility back on you. It leads to the question, “If I want a Mastermind group then why am I choosing not to?” Before you know it, your desire replaces negativity.

Redirect yourself. Shift your focus from negative to positive. How often do you catch yourself thinking about the negatives? For example, “I don’t want to ask someone to join.” “I don’t want to figure out where we’ll meet.” “I don’t want to end up with a group I don’t like and then have to start over again.” The more you concentrate on what you “don’t want” the further you fall into negativity. Make a mental list of what you do want. For example,